Lily took a breath and answered, "Yes, I want to save Nick, but that doesn't make me wrong. I've told you how risky the experiment is, Your Majesty. I'm sure you remember."

Rhea's attempt to disrupt Lily's plan left Lily relying on her relationship with the queen. The queen, however, remained pensive, trying to recall Lily's warnings.

Rhea, noticing her influence, interjected, "Don't believe her, Your Majesty! The experiment is risky, but she only wants to save the boy. You mustn't be swayed by her."

Lily glared. "Even if I'm trying to save Nick, I'm stating facts!"

Rhea scoffed. "Right. For his sake, you wouldn't even want the experiment to work."

"Can you guarantee it will work?" Lily asked.

Rhea smiled. "Of course not."

"Then why conduct an experiment likely to fail?" Lily turned to the queen. "Your Highness, you want a successful experiment, not a fruitless failure."

The queen frowned, conflicted.

Rhea sneered. "Who says it will serve no purpose?"

"Rhea!" Lily's fury was barely contained; she would have struck Rhea if the queen hadn't been present.

Rhea, however, reveled in Lily's exasperation. She pointed at Nick and Fred. "Your Highness, you need a successful experiment, but it doesn't have to be this one."

Intrigued, the queen asked, "What do you mean?"

"You want your experiment to work, but these are the current subjects. What does it matter if it fails?" Rhea's gaze was cold as it rested on Fred and Nick. "As Fred said, if the experiment fails, we can learn from it. Since we stand to gain regardless of success, why shouldn't we proceed?"

The queen's favor shifted when Rhea mentioned Fred. Rhea's right! she thought. Why should I care about Fred after what he did? We can learn something even if it fails. Who knows if it will work next time? The queen smiled.